HHIB05601U HIS 60. The History of the
European Union, 1945-2015

The History of the European Union, 1945-2015
Disillusionment with the European Union is the order of the day. To
be sure the history of European integration has always been fraught
with tensions between the promise of guaranteeing lasting peace in
Western Europe, on the one hand, and worries about giving up powers
“to Europe”, on the other. But it appears that in the wake of the
financial crisis, the disadvantages of membership rather than its
benefits prevail in the public debate. The EU’s unpersuasive
performance in dealing with the financial crisis and the problem of
Greece in the Euro-zone; the EU’s poor democratic credentials; the
notorious Brussels bureaucrats; and too much “red tape” are only
some examples of this current debate. Having said all this, the EU
shows no signs of disappearing any time soon.

But how did we get here? Why have sovereign states decided to pool
resources while transferring powers to European institutions (and
why do they continue to do so)? Which forces have shaped the
process of European integration from its beginnings in coal and
steel in post-World War II Europe to the current EU? Which role
have the Cold War, transatlantic cooperation and Franco-German
relations played over time? Who has been in the driver’s seat – the
European Commission, the big member states or perhaps corporate
Europe? How have the competences of the community developed in
specific policy areas including agriculture, trade, competition,
monetary and foreign policy, to name only a few? How have Europe’s
economies and legal systems fared as a result of European
integration? These are just some of the basic questions providing a
possible point of departure for identifying and developing a
feasible historical Bachelorprojekt, which will be the
focus and the objective of this course.

This course will be taught in two consecutive blocs, the first of
which intends to sketch the field of European Union integration
over time including historical research literature and relevant
theory and methodology. The focus of in-class teaching will be on
introducing students to practical tools helping them to identify
and formulate a feasible question for their
Bachelorprojekt.

The second bloc (starting after the autumn break) focuses on the
individual student projects. Depending on the topics students
chose, it is therefore more likely we will meet regularly in small
groups or even for individual supervision than in class.

The Bachelorprojekt course will provide a format for
students to develop their ideas and interests and transform them
into topics for their projects. This involves completing a number
of set tasks throughout the semester, which students will upload on
Absalon. Please ensure you check Absalon in August for more
detailed information, also on how best to prepare for the beginning
of the course in September.

Finally, teaching for this course is delivered in English and
students are also expected to write in English. Some students might
not have experience in writing in English, which is why the set
tasks for this course also take into consideration that it is
important for students to develop their English (academic) writing
skills.

Course objectives (clarification of some of the
objectives stipulated in the curriculum):
After the course students will be able to:
• (at basic level) analyze and describe the forces, processes and
themes associated with European Union integration from 1945 to
today
• critically evaluate the historical literature in the field of
European integration history
• identify and explain issues of contestation in the literature
• identify and analyze additional research literature on their
chosen topic
• communicate and discuss their chosen topic clearly and
effectively, orally and in writing